MICHEL VAN DER BURG

Tag Archives: theater

Singer Didier Jans and the author of his songs Béatrice Dethy together presented their latest album ‘Push The Reset Button’ (Remettre à zéro les compteurs) to Koenraad Tinel last Saturday , Feb. 9th 2019, in the Handelsbeurs theater in Gand , Belgium.

Koenraad Tinel
The extraordinary live performance of Koenraad Tinel last Saturday in the play As Long As He Does Not Know Himself was a great opportunity to watch Koenraad’s live work , and after the show to meet Koenraad and get the chance to personally present him their new album.

Liberated – tribute to the friendship between Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel
The album includes the chanson ‘Liberated’ (LIBERES) they made in tribute to the extraordinary friendship between Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel – inspired by the belgian documentary War Children (director Marianne Soetewey- VRT, 2012) and the book Liberated at Last (2013 ) that Simon and Koenraad together made on their friendship .

Ceiling reflection in a cup at Koenraad Tinel’s drawing table last night , Saturday 9 February 2019, right after his live performance – drawing with ink, bistre and ‘dirty water’ with Josse De Pauw telling a on Narcissus based story, acccompanied by composer Frederik Neyrinck’s music performed by the Spectra Ensemble , and by Lieselot De Wilde singing the role of Echo in their play : AS LONG AS HE DOES NOT KNOW HIMSELF – Zolang Hij Niet Zichzelve Kent (a production of LOD muziektheater , SPECTRA , Concertgebouw Brugge) in the Handelsbeurs theater in Gent , Belgium ① memo 20190210 ~ Dirty Water

Howard had met Simon, now in his 80s, in Brussels and promised to write an opera based on his life. PUSH tells this story but also deals with much broader themes of persecution.
After the world premiere of PUSH in 2016 in the UK , and a recent second performance in , Howard Moody once again brings together professional musicians and amateur performers – both adults and children – from the UK and Belgium in a unique theatrical experience.

① memo 20171125 ~ Lon’s World Premiere ~ Last week the short documentary film LON by Nina Landau had its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) , with showings from November 16-24th in one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world , the Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam , Holland – a modern style mixed Art Deco , Jugendstil movie palace , opened in 1921 by the jewish polish immigrant Abraham Tuschinski (murdered in Auschwitz in 1942).

Still documentary LON – Nina Landau

Lon Landau is a promising Jewish stage designer whose life takes a turn during World War II. He is held captive in a Belgian nazi camp, but decides to stay positive and do what he knows best: building dream worlds. LON is an ode to the power of imagination and how people maintain their dignity in difficult times.

I first watched LON via the Belgian channel Canvas | VRT.be – which aired the film November 19th. Yesterday I watched the film in Tuschinski – and enjoyed the fine quality of the film on that big screen … and , by the way , the rich colors of the image I contributed – the picture of the oil-painted ‘Robin Hood’ marionette made by Lon Landau.

Still documentary LON – Nina Landau

In Lon’s artistic spirit , Nina Landau shows the story of her great-uncle Lon in her short documentary animation film ‘LON’ , on a ‘stage’ of paper sheets , were hand-drawn figures , sketches , are brought to life , just like the marionettes Lon made 75 years ago for the puppet show he prepared for the children around him , living like he in the Nazi transit camp Kazerne Dossin – waiting for deportation to a death camp. Lon’s puppet show did not premiere for the children in the camp , because he was deported to Auschwitz shortly before the envisioned performance.

This 7 minute short Flemish version of ‘La Vita è bella’ by Nina Landau , and co-workers Jamie MacLean, Penelope Deltour , Gert Van Goethem , and Sus Slaets will be screened again in december in Belgium at the international Kort Film Festival in Leuven ; and next Saturday , December 2nd 2017 at ‘Kortfilms in Dossin‘ , in the Kazerne Dossin museum in Mechelen .

① memo 20171117 ~ Till Eulenspiegel ~ The Antwerp avant garde artist ‘Lon’ Leon Landau made a puppet theater for the children in the Kazerne Dossin transit camp , with 12 puppets like this marionette Till Eulenspiegel (Tijl Uilenspiegel) – and Robin Hood which I published previously [ https://michelvanderburg.com/2017/07/29/lons-puppet-show/ ] . However, Lon was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 , before the puppet show could took place. Filmed November 15, 2013 in Kazerne Dossin , Mechelen , Belgium.

① memo 20170729 ~ Lon’s Puppet Show ~ The Antwerp avant garde artist ‘Lon’ Leon Landau made a puppet theater for the children in the Kazerne Dossin transit camp , with 12 puppets like this rebellious character ‘Robin Hood’ filmed here , and eg Till Eulenspiegel (Tijl Uilenspiegel) – but Lon was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 , before the puppet show could took place.
He was a rebel himself , one of the people that hid the tools under the straw on the floor of the cattle cars to help escape the deportees on Transport XX. Interview with Janiv Stamberger ( researcher Kazerne Dossin ) filmed August 18, 2016 at the Wiki Loves Art event in Kazerne Dossin , Mechelen , Belgium.